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Holiday Gift Guide for DJs + Producers: 2015 Edition - DJ TechTools

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Holiday Gift Guide for DJs + Producers: 2015 Edition The winter holidays are upon us, and with that comes a season of fantastic gift-giving to the people who matter to you. Whether you need to find gifts for your DJ friends, studio producer colleagues, or even just ideas for hints to send to your parents or relatives, we’ve put together another holiday gift guide for your use. Low Cost DJ Stocking Stuffers (<$50) Headphone Adapter Price: <$2 (on Amazon)Ideal For: Every DJ EverWhy It’s A Good Gift: Yes, it’s back in first place on the gift guide. While we hope that newer DJ gear will soon make 1/8″ headphone jacks standard, until then, this will be one of the top cheap gifts for DJs, alongside spare cables! Gift them by the handful to DJs everywhere. 12 Port Surge Protector + Dual USB Charger Price: $27.95 (on Amazon)Ideal For: Particularly mobile DJsWhy It’s A Good Gift: This won’t win awards for a sexy gift, but I can’t think of a single DJ booth that couldn’t use MORE POWER OUTLETS. Bonus points for being a surge protector, having dual USB power, and 4 ports that have enough space for larger “wall wart” power bricks. The Anchor: Under-Desk Headphone Mount Price: $14.95 (on Amazon)Ideal For: Home studios / practice spacesWhy It’s A Good Gift: When a DJ or studio desk is as cluttered as most, where are you supposed to put your headphones? Why not under the desk (or above it, if you have a shelf nearby). This simple solution holds two sets of headphones, one on each side. Chroma Cables Price: $12.50 for one / 3 for $30 (on DJTT webstore)Ideal For: Any DJ with a controller, soundcard, etcWhy It’s A Good Gift: Easily the coolest-looking USB cables on the market, these DJTT originals come in both right-angle and straight varieties. What, you thought we wouldn’t recommend our own stuff? The reviews speak for themselves – these are great cables. Mixtape Style Sticky Notes Price: $4.99 (on Amazon)Ideal For: Organizing with a retro mixtape flavor Why It’s A Good Gift: Every DJ needs to keep track of notes – from mixes to make to tracks to find – but let’s do it with some thematic class, right? Since you’re not writing on real mixtapes anymore, supplant your desires with these cassette sticky notes. Higher-end Digital DJ Gifts ($100+) A DIY MIDI Controller Price: $200+ (see our supply list)Ideal For: DJs who need a custom control surfaceWhy It’s A Good Gift: The best gifts are handmade – now why not take that to an extreme? If you’re feeling crafty and know exactly the type of controller someone might want (get them to sketch it for you!), follow Kyle Mohr’s guide to building a DIY MIDI controller. Innofader KitsPrice: $99 – $175+ (varies by model – see Audio Innovate’s store)Ideal For: Aspiring crossfader abusers Why It’s A Good Gift: A great gift for someone who loves a certain piece of DJ gear but keeps complaining about the crossfader – or who has had it fixed several times. The Innofader is a DIY install but comes with (usually simple) directions. Xone:23C Mixer + Soundcard Price: $399 (on Amazon)Ideal For: DJs who want a two channel mixer + soundcard Why It’s A Good Gift: Allen & Heath took the formidable little Xone:23 and stuck a 4-channel soundcard into it, making it one of the most solid two channel mixers out there, with external effects control and total kill EQ. DJ Tech TRX Mixer Price: $399.95 (on Amazon)Ideal For: Turntablists who want a great DVS mixer under $1,000Why It’s A Good Gift: On the other end of the spectrum from A&H mixers is this turntablist-oriented mixer from Thud Rumble and DJ Tech. Mini Innofader crossfader, curve adjusts, reverse switches, DVS send/return ports for quick mode switching. You can tell Q-Bert helped design it with all of these solid features. Pair Of Pioneer XDJ-700s Price: $697 each (on DJTT)Ideal For: Home Pioneer CDJ-style setups Why It’s A Good Gift: We’ve heard from a lot of Pioneer controller users that this is finally the player that might get them to switch to a home setup of Pioneer decks – and it’s not surprising. Aside from a smaller jogwheel, you still get all the power of Rekordbox and the workflow you would expect in a club setup. Supply is limited, but you can lock in a preorder if they’re at the top of a wishlist. Traktor Kontrol S5 Price: $799 (on DJTT)Ideal For: Traktor users who DGAF about jog wheels or beatmatchingWhy It’s A Good Gift: The S5 is the pinnacle of control for the Traktor platform. Smaller than the S8, but still with plenty of controls and built-in screens, you can expect to get addicted to Stems, on-screen FX displays, and much more. Subpac M2 Price: $379 (on DJTT)Ideal For: DJs who want to feel the low-end in the boothWhy It’s A Good Gift: Between this almost-out wearable bass model and the M1, this might have been the most sought-after bit of kit of 2015. This new version is in stores in just a few days, and while most are sold out, there are a few still unreserved in the DJTT store. Ideal … http://bit.ly/1RE1SKk

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"Controllerism in its strictest sense is the manipulation of digital audio by use of a hardware controller.

In the Laptop DJ world it is the equivalent of Turntablism, requiring skill patience and dedication to learn the craft.

Controllerists use a wide variety of controllers to manipulate audio from traditional DJ techniques such as Beat Juggling and Scratching to more advanced production techniques that can only be accomplished with the latest technology."